


Convention

by FlashBastard



Category: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Comic-Con, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-09-07 06:11:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20304763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlashBastard/pseuds/FlashBastard
Summary: Adam and the Them really want to go to SDCC.





	1. Chapter 1

Adam Young was 16 years old, as were his friends, and the Them had gotten very interested in super hero movies. Pepper was, of course, all about the strong women like Wonder Woman and Scarlet Witch. She didn't feel the need to choose between one comic company or another. Strong female leads were all that mattered to her. The boys, however, quite often argued about which company was better, though Brian and Adam were on the side of Marvel and Wensleydale was most definitely a fan of DC. The arguments didn't matter, though, because they had another problem entirely. They all desperately wanted to go to Comic Con. 

"But that's in America." Wensleydale said. 

"Quite aware of that." Adam said rather annoyed. 

"And the tickets sold out in minutes." Brian muttered. 

"Yes." Pepper nodded. "It would take an actual miracle for even one of us to get to go." She sighed. It would have been ever so nice, though. 

"Yes." Adam said with a sudden smile on his face. "An actual miracle." He grinned and pulled the mobile phone out of his pocket, dialing a number that he'd kept handy just in case of things like this. 

"What do you want?" Crowley said as he answered the phone without looking at the caller ID. It was how he answered the phone for everyone, except for Aziraphale. 

"Mr. Crowley. It's me, Adam." He said with a grin. Suddenly the Them were a much happier bunch. 

"Adam, how are you boy?" Crowley's tone changed immediately. He did actually like the lad, though he wouldn't admit that to anyone else. And he'd made sure that they stayed in touch. If he were honest with himself he would agree that it was to make sure he really was human instead of still the Antichrist, but that was just part of it.

"I'm doing alright." Adam said a little sadly. Had to put on a show, after all. 

"What's wrong?" Crowley was about ninety percent certain he was being played so that Adam could get something, but he really didn't care at the moment. He was bored and it could end up being something fun. 

"Well, you see, there's this convention in America. You might have heard of it. A lot of people just call it Comic Con." He tried to keep his tone even. Didn't want to let anything slip. 

"Yes, I have heard of it. Very hard to get into, that convention. Lots of big name celebrities." Crowley nodded even though Adam couldn't see it. 

"Well, it would just mean the absolute world to me and my friends if we could possibly get a chance to go." He tried to put a bit of a pout in his voice. 

"And it would take a bit of a miracle for that to happen, yes?" There it was. He'd known all along that Adam wanted something. 

"Yes, exactly. Would that....be possible?" The Them stared at Adam in hopeful anticipation of an answer. 

"I'm not quite sure." Crowley said with a smirk on his lips. "I would need actual written permission from your parents and I would need to talk to Aziraphale." 

"Why is that?" Adam was actually pouting now. 

"You don't honestly think your parents will just let you go to America by yourselves, do you? Especially the little bespectacled one?" He never bothered to remember any of their names other than Adam and Pepper. Pepper was only because she threatened to douse him with holy water if he didn't stop calling her "the girl." 

"Well, that's very true." Adam nodded. "But why Aziraphale?" 

"Because it'll be an absolute riot to see him trying to handle that." Crowley said with a laugh. "You talk to your parents and I'll talk to the angel and then I'll get back to you. And Adam.....I'll know if the signatures are forged, got it?" He was actually kind of hoping they would be. A smidgen of rebellion never hurt anyone. 

"Yes, absolutely." Adam nodded and hung up the phone, already explaining everything to his friends.

"What is this again?" Aziraphale asked as Crowley paced in his shop. 

"It's a convention. Comic books and movies and the like. The kids love it." He shrugged. While comic book conventions hadn't been an invention of Crowley's, he took credit for the irritation caused by the long queues and the short windows of opportunity for meeting your favorite celebrity. 

"Ah, yes. I've heard of it. It sounds dreadful." He shook his head. 

"It can be quite fun, actually. We'd be able to be ourselves and no one would think twice about it." Crowley said with a grin. 

"Be ourselves?" Aziraphale tilted his head a bit. Crowley stepped to a spot that he knew wouldn't cause any damage. He removed his sunglasses and let his wings out for all to see. 

"I can walk around like this and no one will even question it. It'll be brilliant." He grinned. Aziraphale just stared at him for a moment. 

"You can't be serious?" He was absolutely shocked at the idea. 

"Completely serious." Crowley nodded. He folded his wings back into hiding and slipped his sunglasses back on, not that it mattered to the angel what his eyes looked like. "I could even slither a bit and everyone would think it absolutely amazing." He chuckled at the thought. 

"That's absolutely preposterous." Aziraphale shook his head. 

"Well, I'm going either way. Promised the kids and all. I'll be gone for about a week, maybe two depending what they want to do. So, are you going to spend a fortnight here in your bookshop?" Crowley left out the obvious "without me" that was hanging at the end of his question. "Or are you going to come with us and have a bit of fun?" 

"I don't know...." Aziraphale really wasn't sure it was the best idea, but he didn't like the thought of Crowley being in charge of four teenagers all by himself. He could temp them into doing all kinds of horrible things. 

"You know, it takes place in San Diego. We could nip over to the zoo or spend some time on the pier....plenty of restaurants for you to try....." Food was always a good way to get Aziraphale's attention. He had to hide the obvious grin when the angel sat up a little straighter and smiled. 

"Well....if you put it that way....." Aziraphale smirked. "I guess a little trip over to America couldn't be all bad." 

"Exactly." Crowley nodded. "It'll be loads of fun, you'll see."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day at the convention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another story that I wasn't planning on adding to and then I got inspired.

Aziraphale decided after seeing the crowds outside the convention center that he would most definitely not be accompanying them into the building. There were too many restaurants to try and too much local scenery to take in. At least that's the excuse he used. Crowley knew that Aziraphale was actually quite terrified of being caught in a crowd. 

"Before you dash off, angel, I need some help." Crowley smiled as Aziraphale sat on the bed in the hotel room. He'd gotten separate rooms for the kids and for him and Aziraphale. He did actually trust Adam to not let them get into too much trouble. 

"Help with what?" Aziraphale sighed. He was going through his wallet to make sure he had enough cash for what he wanted to do. By that meaning miracling up enough to fit the budget he had in mind. 

"With what to wear." Crowley ducked into the bathroom for a moment. "I was thinking about this." He said before he stepped out looking exactly like he did that first day on the wall, though he was wearing sandals. His hair was down to his waist and his wings were relaxed but fully visible. 

"Oh, I don't know." Aziraphale cleared his throat. He'd forgotten how beautiful Crowley had looked back then. 

"Or there's always this." Crowley snapped his fingers and he was standing there looking exactly as he had in Rome all those centuries ago, the only difference being that his wings were still visible. Aziraphale tilted his head before shaking it. 

"Not that." He made a face. 

"Alright, what about this?" Crowley snapped his fingers again and he was in his full Victorian garb. The exact clothes he'd worn for the meeting when he asked for the holy water. Again, the only difference being his wings. 

"We're in San Diego and it's July, Crowley. Won't you look a bit.....uncomfortable?" Aziraphale tilted his head again. 

"Trust me, this one won't be as out of place as you might think." He chuckled. He was wearing the sunglasses but he thought he might take them off. 

"Well, that look does suit you." Aziraphale shifted on the bed a little. How had he managed to completely miss the way Crowley looked in all his clothes. "Or you could always go with your black knight attire." He offered with a smirk. 

"I am not wearing a full suit of armor." Crowley chuckled. "That's a little too over the top." He walked over to look at himself in the full length mirror on the back of the bathroom door. "I think this one is the way to go." He really did like the clothes back then. 

"Right, now you can go gather the children and have your fun while I go get something to eat." Aziraphale did that excited little wiggle before getting up from the bed. 

"Yes, you go do that." Crowley put his wings away before gathering up everything he would need for the convention and leaving the room. 

"What are you supposed to be exactly?" Pepper asked when she opened their room door and Crowley was standing there. He looked extremely posh and she had to admit that it was a good look for him. 

"I'm a demon." He grinned at her. "You'll get the full effect when we get to the convention. Which we need to be leaving for." 

"The boys are still getting ready." Pepper rolled her eyes. She'd decided to dress as Scarlet Witch, though she did go with the movie version. Crowley snapped his fingers and then smiled. 

"Now they're not. Come on you lot, let's go." He called into the room. The three boys came out of their side of the suite dressed and ready to go. Adam was dressed as Tony Stark, Brian had gone with Thor and Wensleydale was dressed as Nightwing. Crowley smiled a little at the four of them. "If anyone asks, I'm your uncle. Got it?" 

"Which one of us?" Brian asked as he looked at his friends. 

"I'll let you decide that." Crowley said with a shrug and then motioned for them to go ahead of him. It was decided along the way that he would be Pepper's uncle because it would draw the most confusion and therefore be the most fun. When they actually got inside the building, Crowley ducked off into a corner that was as hidden as one could get. He slipped his sunglasses off and let his wings be visible before he rejoined the kids. 

"Sick cosplay, man." A random stranger said as Crowley joined them. The boys were all staring and Pepper was trying to hide that she was impressed. 

"So is that what you really look like?" She asked as she walked around him, checking out his wings. 

"Not exactly, no." Crowley shook his head. 

"You could just look like yourself if you really wanted." Adam pointed out. 

"No, actually I couldn't. It would cause quite a lot of panic." Crowley laughed softly. That would only be fun in a smaller crowd. 

"Oh? Why's that?" Wensleydale asked. Crowley took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 

"Because what I really look like, if you must know, is a thirty foot long python with black scales and a copper belly. Thus the eyes." He touched his temple. 

"You're really a giant snake?" Pepper asked, just staring at him. 

"Yes. That's what my actual true form is." Crowley nodded. 

"Wicked." The three boys said in unison. Pepper rolled her eyes and Crowley laughed softly. 

"Alright, now let's go see what there is to see around here." He ushered the kids in front of him as they went further into the convention. Out of the five of them, Pepper actually received the most compliments on her cosplay. She really did make a beautiful Scarlet Witch. Crowley was literally ready to fight anyone that had a problem with her choice but it never came to that. 

"Where did you get those wings?" Someone asked him as they stared at the glistening black feathers. 

"I made them." Crowley said with a grin. The truth was much easier in this case. They were actually in a pretty empty part of the hall at the time so he let them spread out to their full glory before bringing them back in. 

"They're articulated too! That's so cool. Did you like do a tutorial on youtube? I'd love to learn how to make wings like that." The young woman just continued to stare in admiration. 

"I'm afraid my uncle is only really good with simple mechanics. I have to check his email for him." Pepper said with a grin. Crowley glared at her but the young woman seemed to accept the answer so he kept his mouth shut. The whole day had pretty much gone that way. People stopped to admire Crowley's wings, to ask him where he got his contacts. One young man asked about his wardrobe. 

"It's vintage." Crowley said with a small smirk. Yes, he'd bought the clothes brand new over a hundred and fifty years ago but they didn't need to know that, did they? There had been one particularly painful moment, though, when a small child that had gotten away from his parent grabbed hold of Crowley's wing and actually managed to pull a feather free. 

"I'm so sorry." The woman said when she came over to gather her child. She wrestled the feather out of the kid's grasp and held it out. Crowley was too busy inspecting his wing to notice so Adam took it from her. He wasn't sure if there would be any kind of magic attached to the feather. 

"Are you alright?" Brian asked as Crowley looked over where the feather had been. 

"I think it's time we go back to the hotel." Crowley muttered. He'd had to remind himself that the tiny human didn't really know what he was doing and it would be very bad to punish him. He took the feather from Adam and with a little miracle, it was back in place. It was still hurting, though. Crowley let them go through the dealer room one more time to purchase anything they wanted but hadn't been willing to carry around with them before they went back to the hotel. 

"And how was your day?" Aziraphale asked as Crowley came back into the room. He furrowed his brow when he noticed that Crowley seemed to be inspecting one of his wings. "What's wrong?" 

"A stupid urchin got hold of my wing and ripped out a feather." Crowley pouted. He walked over to Aziraphale and sighed heavily. 

"Oh goodness. I didn't think they were strong enough." Aziraphale took the wing in question in his hands and lightly ran them over the soft feathers. 

"Never underestimate a small child that desperately wants something." Crowley sighed a little. There was a soft glow from Aziraphale's hands and his wing felt instantly better. "Tomorrow they are staying hidden. I'm not risking it." 

"Did you have fun other than that, though?" Aziraphale smiled a little. 

"I did, actually. I got a lot of compliments, as did the kids. Had people begging to take pictures with me. It was fun. I honestly think you would have enjoyed it." Crowley put his wings away and then snapped his fingers so that he was in much more comfortable clothing, a t-shirt and some jeans. 

"Perhaps tomorrow I'll go with you." Aziraphale said, though he did seem a bit nervous. 

"We'll see how you feel about it in the morning." Crowley nodded. He wasn't even thinking when he gave Aziraphale a kiss on the cheek before going to the phone to order himself some room service. He wasn't usually hungry but the day had taken some energy out of him. Aziraphale reached up and touched his cheek where Crowley kissed it. Once the food was ordered, Crowley moved over and sat down on his bed, leaning back against the headboard. 

"So, tell me about your day." He said as he patted the spot next to him. Aziraphale climbed onto the bed and sat next to Crowley, also leaning back against the headboard. They ended up spending the rest of the night talking about the different things that Aziraphale did and saw while Crowley and the kids were at the convention. Not once did Crowley try to change the subject back to himself, he just let Aziraphale go on and on. He really did love listening to the angel talk when he was excited. Though he'd never admit that to Aziraphale.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aziraphale decides to accompany them to the convention

Aziraphale decided that he was going to give the convention a chance. Crowley and the kids really enjoyed themselves so maybe he could too. And Crowley informed him that there were booths in the dealer room that had all kinds of sweets that he could purchase. He could always be tempted with food. It was what he considered his downfall. 

Crowley had managed to talk him into doing a bit of a themed costume for the day. The kids were still wearing the same cosplays from the day before, having only had enough money for one really good cosplay. He'd told them that he could just miracle them up new ones but none of them wanted that. 

"It's not the same." Adam shook his head and the others agreed. 

"Fair enough." Crowley nodded. And then he'd talked Aziraphale into a costume. They were wearing the outfits they'd worn when running into each other in Rome. 

"Are you quite certain we won't look absolutely ridiculous?" Aziraphale asked as he looked at himself in the mirror. 

"There was a man walking around yesterday in nothing but a giant diaper. We won't look ridiculous at all." Crowley said with a chuckle. He adjusted his sunglasses. The main difference in their current togas was that both of them now contained pockets, something that wasn't the case when they'd originally worn them. 

"So, we get to the convention and the children go off to do whatever they want and then come back and find you when they need money?" Aziraphale raised an eyebrow. Crowley laughed. 

"That's essentially it, yes." He nodded. He hadn't thought about being their walking ATM until just then. "But we can go do our own thing as well. If there's something you want to see or try...." Crowley shrugged. 

"Ah yes. The adults go off and do their thing while the children go have fun together." Aziraphale smiled a little. "And what was the story that you came up with yesterday?" 

"I'm Pepper's uncle." Crowley grinned. "You should see the looks we get when we tell people that." He chuckled and shook his head. Aziraphale chuckled as well. 

"I can only imagine." He made sure that he had his phone and his wallet and anything else he might need in his interestingly large pockets. 

"Well, you'll probably get to see today." Crowley shrugged and went about doing the same. Of course all he really carried on him was his mobile phone. The money could be miracled up without a thought. 

Things seemed to be going pretty well when they got to the convention. They were early enough that there weren't too many people. Crowley gave Adam a handful of bills and told him not to wander too far off and to keep his phone on at all times. Adam just rolled his eyes and the four kids went off. 

"Now, where are these sweets that you promised me?" Aziraphale asked with a raised eyebrow. Crowley chuckled and offered his arm to the angel before leading him to a booth with all kinds of themed chocolates. They spent most of the day wandering around the dealers room and looking at various items for sale. Of course Aziraphale found someone that was selling books. 

"Only you could find books at a convention." Crowley rolled his eyes and laughed a bit. Aziraphale just grinned and then kept looking at the various books on the table. "You stay here, I'm going to go look at something at that table over there, alright?" Crowley pointed to the table he was heading to. Aziraphale just nodded and Crowley assumed that the angel was actually listening to what he said. Crowley then headed to the table where he'd spotted some jewelry. 

"Crowley?" Aziraphale asked after about twenty minutes. He had ended up buying one of the books for probably more money than it was worth but he'd heard the young woman saying she hadn't made very much money so far. Aziraphale turned in a circle, looking for Crowley. His red hair shouldn't be too hard to spot, should it? 

"Crowley?" He asked again as he started to walk away from the table a bit. The dealer room had gotten considerably more crowded in the time that he'd been book shopping and it was hard for him to see any one specific person. It was also getting harder for him to move around. He didn't even think about the possibility of pulling out his phone and calling Crowley to find out where he was. He managed to get himself into a main walkway but there were so many people that he couldn't move. He felt absolutely trapped, people brushing against him and pushing him out of the way. He closed his eyes and tried to take deep breaths but it wasn't helping. When he opened his eyes again, still scanning for Crowley, he was in the middle of a full blown panic attack. 

"Too many people. I can't....I need to...." Every time he turned around there were more people. He closed his eyes again but he couldn't stop himself from hyperventilating. He just stood in the middle of the walkway letting people pushing him and move him as they may because he literally couldn't move himself. After what felt like an eternity, he finally felt strong hands on his upper arms. 

"Zira, I need you to breathe, okay? Slow, deep breaths." Crowley could recognize the signs of a panic attack from a mile away. The angel didn't have them often but they did happen every few decades or so. 

"Crowley....I couldn't.....you disappeared...." Aziraphale stared at him with big, terrified eyes. 

"I shouldn't have left you. I'm sorry." Crowley said as he pulled Aziraphale into a hug. He wrapped his arms around him and then they were suddenly outside in a big, open space. There was a cool breeze and Aziraphale was able to step back a little and try to calm down. 

"We might have been seen...." Aziraphale started to worry about the fact that they had just transported themselves in the blink of an eye. 

"Don't care." Crowley shrugged. He pulled out his phone and sent Adam a quick text before he put his hands on Aziraphale's shoulders again. "Are you alright?" Crowley's sunglasses had slid down his nose a bit and he looked Aziraphale in the eye, concern evident on his face. 

"Yes. I mean, I am now." Aziraphale nodded. He still had his new book clutched tightly to his chest. Crowley put a hand on Azirpahale's cheek and stroked gently with his thumb. 

"I'm sorry. I should have stayed with you." He thought for sure that Aziraphale had heard him and he felt bad for not double checking. 

"It's not your fault, Crowley." Aziraphale shook his head. "I'm...." He started. 

"Don't you dare even think about apologizing." Crowley took the hand from Azirpahale's cheek and pointed at him. Aziraphale looked at his finger and then just nodded. "There's a little food truck over there. We'll get a bite to eat, enjoy the fresh air and wait for Adam and the rest to get done inside, alright?" Crowley smiled a little. 

"You don't want to go back inside?" Aziraphale tilted his head. Crowley shrugged. 

"I've already got the one thing I was planning on purchasing, and if I want something else I can always get one of the kids to get it for me." Crowley smiled a little. 

"Can I see what you bought?" Aziraphale started to walk over to a bench that was nearby. It was stone so it wouldn't be too comfortable but at least it was a place to sit. Crowley acted as if he had to think about it for a moment before pulling the small paper bag out of his pocket. 

"It's for you anyway." Crowley said as he held it out. Aziraphale put his book on the bench and took the bag gingerly. 

"You didn't have to buy me anything, Crowley." Aziraphale looked at the bag and then looked back at his friend. 

"It screamed your name, Zira. I couldn't not buy it for you." Crowley chuckled. 

"Oh." Aziraphale nodded and then slowly opened the bag. Inside was a sterling silver ring with a pale blue teardrop gem being held by a pair of angel wings. Aziraphale smiled and turned it over in his fingers as he looked at it. "It's is absolutely gorgeous, Crowley, thank you." 

"It's no trouble." Crowley shrugged and looked over in the direction of the food trucks as he pushed his sunglasses back up. "I'm going to go find you some food. You stay here. I'll be within sight, alright?" He pointed over to the food trucks. 

"Okay." Aziraphale nodded. Crowley got to his feet and headed over to see if any of them had anything the angel might want to eat. Aziraphale just kept staring at the ring for a moment. He tried it on his pinky and noticed that it was a little big. It did, however, seem to fit his ring finger perfectly. He looked up at Crowley, watching him as he moved through the trucks trying to buy some food. They'd definitely have to have a discussion about that later.


End file.
